Sushi Badaya

This sushi is NOT worth it at all. It’s overpriced, undersized rolls and the customer service is unapologetic and very distant and cold when dealing with a mistake on their part. We have frequented this restaurant for years and while the sushi is good at best, there are much better options in Highland Park. Very disappointing that one of the more expensive sushi restaurants offers the smallest rolls in all of Highland Park.

I’m not much of a sushi fan, but this place made me change my mind! Everything is amazing, especially the firecracker egg rolls. I don’t think I’ve tasted anything like it. To top off the great food, the service is two thumbs up!

One of my favorite sushi places. Pink dragon roll and appetizer spicy tuna (or salmon) salad are AMAZING! I haven’t tried too many things on the menu because I fell in love with those dishes and get it every time

I cannot speak highly enough of this quaint sushi restaurant. Initially, I stopped by because I heard rumors that many members of the Chicago Bulls eat at Sushi Badya – specifically Joakim Noah. After experiencing their Sushi its easy to believe that The Bulls would dine here for sushi after practice at their training facility around the corner. The Sushi is fresh, original and satisfying. I tried new types of Sushi, and they became my new favorites. The restaurant’s atmosphere is quiet and relaxing. The wait staff add to this with stoic professionalism. Here are my favorites, and I gathered them through many visits to Sushi Badya: The Pink Dragon Roll, The Spicy Tuna Salad, The Double Crunch Roll, and The Sunflower Roll. Go!

Good local place, good sushi, great Sakatini.
Will return

I have been a customer of this restaurant for quite some time. It is a little pricy compared to sushi kushi down the street. But in my opinion sushi from sushi badaya blows sushi kushi out of the water. I am a huge spicy tuna roll guy like allot of us I’m sure. The spicy tuna at sushi kushi is made with a spicy oil or spicy marinate instead of spicy mayo. It is extremely delicious. They also serve rolls with brown rice. Nice atmosphere great soy and teriyaki. Any way. This sushi restaurant is one of the best in the north shore. Like I said in my own opinion.

We changed from our normal delivery sushi place which was Sushi Kushi, just to mix it up, and spent 130.00 on the worst sushi that we have had in our lives. 3 of the dishes tasted so fishy, I spit them out. The rest I was to afraid to even eat, though my husband tried it all… and promptly spit it out as well. Disgusting, and shockingly bad.

We sat at the bar and watched the very talented sushi chefs. The meal was terrífic and my husband and I got to the movies with plenty of time to spare.
Seaweed salad was great by the way.

I was there a couple of weeks ago on a business trip to Chicago. Maybe it’s unfair to give them two stars; I’ve seen so many places in smaller towns and in the Midwest (far from the ocean, I guess) that do sushi like this. My issue with these places is that the sushi is covered in sauces. These «specialty rolls» have sweet and creamy sauces drizzled all over them. Often to add «crunch» there’s something fried in the roll, as well. Here’s some news: your sushi should not be «creamy.» You shouldn’t feel like you ate a bacon double cheeseburger after eating sushi. It should be light, subtle, and the fish should speak for itself.
I felt kind of gross post-​meal.
Ambiance is fairly non-​existent. The place is spare, to say the least.
The service was good. Friendly waiter and the food arrived quickly (unfortunately the speed didn’t improve the food though…)

Service slow and not very smart.
2 kids, 2 adults
we told the waiter the kids would split one adult meal
brought adult food first and on one soup for both kids, asked for a second bowl and spoon, brought the bowl.
food came with one fork, asked for a fork.
we sat outside and service was very slow and we had to keep going inside to ask for the items above and even water

We came here for a birthday, fully equipped with a Groupon.
I made reservations for the two of us and we were excited because we typically frequent the nearby Sushi Station so this was a new experience (we live in AH). The Groupon was good for money off the bill which is always a plus, and in this case necessary. As it turned out we didn’t quite need the reservations but I’m glad we had them just in case.
Starting with the positive: The atmosphere was nice, they served Kirin Ichiban, and had a wide variety of sushi to select from. We enjoyed what we ate very much and deemed the entire meal a success, however there were some negatives.
Negatives/​Critiques/​Comments: I wouldn’t call it a language barrier, but there was somewhat of a social cue difference that was ever-​present; this can easily be overcome by being straight forward and specific, for example, when asked if wanted anything else, we said ‘we’re ok’ and our server didn’t quite know how to respond, we should have just said ‘no thanks’ (just a heads up). Unfortunately some of our rolls were sloppy and falling apart on the plate, they were still delicious, but minus a point for presentation.
Overall the Groupon proved to be crucial because when the bill came I couldn’t have imagined paying full price for the meal. Maybe I’m used to pricing in Arlington Heights, and I certainly don’t recall the prices in Chicago (byob with no corkage fee will do that) but I felt the food was over priced.
Ultimately I’m happy we tried Sushi Badaya. I don’t imagine we would be back due to our location, but it was nice to venture away from the norm and try new things… the two main reasons I use Unilocal and Groupon. Teamwork, baby.
PS word to the wise, go in with an idea of what you want to eat rather than deciding everything there & the edamame on the table isn’t complimentary so if you munch you’ll get charged for them

I can’t believe I forgot to write an update! I contacted Groupon after the added gratuity situation, to inform them that it should be in the fine print of the groupon that gratuity will be added.
The response I got back from Groupon was that they did contact the restaurant to inquire about the gratuity being added to the bill. The restaurant’s response was that because they had so many customers coming in, they promised their staff 18% gratuity on each table.
That’ s not how it works, Sushi Badaya. Firstly, as I mentioned in my original review, the restaurant was pretty much dead the night we came in. There were two or three tables total, and far too much staff on for the amount of people there or tables at all. If you’re promising your wait staff something and the service provided doesn’t warrant an 18% tip, it is your responsibility to make up the difference in tip, since you are the ones who promised this to your wait staff.
After hearing that, my desire to return to Sushi Badaya turned from not existent to when-​hell-​freezes-​over.

I originally drove to another sushi place down the road. I pulled up, parked my car on the street, got out & walked up to the door but when I reached the door there was a sign that looked like it was made with finger paint. The sign said «Please Use Side Entrance» after I saw that, the Christmas lights in the window & the paint chipping away that looked like it was made out of led I took a step back & said back to downtown Highland Park I go.
I have ate at so many restaurants in Highland Park & I said to myself it’s time to try this one, especially because I am a sushi connoisseur. I have ate at some of the best sushi restaurants in Chicago & many other suburbs.
Right away when I walked into the place it stood out to me. Most sushi places look like someone took a paintball gun & shot paint all over the wall but the décor of the restaurant was phenomenal & when I was sitting down I realized even the lighting was excellent. The restaurant was not too dark & while it was lit up the lights were not too bright. Sometimes when the lighting in a restaurant is too bright it gets annoying & will bother me the entire meal.
I ordered the Shrimp Tempura & a Spicy Tuna roll. The food came out & the presentation was excellent. The Shrimp Tempura roll had a presentation that I have never seen before & it looked excellent. The sushi was honestly the freshest I have ever had. I have never had sushi where everything blended in so perfectly & tasted so great. This was the sushi place I have been looking for.
The first 2 pieces of each roll I tried fell apart so I was worried that every piece on the roll would be like that but that was not the case. The were all rolled excellent. When I dipped the rest of them I’m wasabi & soy sauce they stayed intact.
I proceeded to order 2 more rolls of the same thing & they looked & tasted just as delicious. This made me happy because with the second order as good as the first I know that their entire selection is just as fresh & well prepared.
The service here was good as well. The lady up front came up to me & was asking me about my car & being very friendly. The waitress was nice as well but never asked me if I wanted a refill on my iced tea. I’m not a demanding person but it wasn’t that busy so I would have liked the waitress to check on my table a few more times & see if I needed anything. I also placed my second order of food with another waiter because he was the only one around. However she was still nice & the hospitality was great.
The one thing I can’t stand just as much as bad food is a dirty restaurant. Some restaurants you walk into have tables cover with crumbs with crumbs from the slob who sat there before & spilled sauce all over their shirt. That was not the case here, the place was spotless. Every table was clean & shiny. I like how they take the extra time to present the table nice than most sushi places with the way they place the napkins & other table items.
This was by far one of the best sushi restaurants I have ever been to. The experience was awesome. Even though it is pricier than most, you are getting the freshest & best prepared sushi around.
I not only look forward to eating here again but I look forward to coming here in the summer because they have a really nice outdoor patio area. The location of the restaurant in downtown Highland Park is phenomenal.

A co-​worker got me sushi from here for carryout and I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it. I’m very picky in terms of sushi and normally go downtown to get my sushi fix but this really blew me away. They have a lunch special for like $ 10 which includes two nice rolls, a miso soup and a salad. The fact that I’m not a fan of soup nor salad at Japanese places, I will only comment on the sushi.
The spicy salmon roll was filled with salmon, and had some roe in the spicy mayo which gave it that extra texture. The eel avocado roll was also delish and both rolls were very fresh. I’m definitely a fan and can’t wait to actually eat in w/​my hubby and friends!
A lot of people compare this place to Sushi Kushi (also in HP) and I think although they are different, one isn’t necessarily better than the other. Both worth trying and both are walking distance from work so yay for me :)
Update: Went for lunch today and the quality wasn’t as good, it was more a okay, so come on, biggest thing a sushi restaurant can do to succeed is be CONSISTENT!!!

Stopped in for a quick bite after a doctor’s appointment. They didn’t have salmon roe because it was frozen… or at least that’s what I think the guy was trying to tell me. He was very nice but didn’t speak English very well so it was difficult understanding him. I got a dragon and a cali roll which hit the spot but didn’t annihilate it like I’d hoped. There’s certainly better… but on the other hand there’s certainly worse too!

Before we moved to Highland Park, we lived in the City (Lincoln Park, Lake View, and Old Town). When living in the City there was dozens upon dozens of Sushi restaurants at our fingertips that of course we frequented. In my humble opinion Sushi Badaya ranks A OK because the food quality is good but not the best. It means you are going to get good sushi with a decent presentation. As far as the menu selection goes it ranks in the middle of the road. In terms of price, I think it is on the slightly high side but not ridiculous. Its an A-​OK place to go with friends or family. I would really say perfect for family considering the location. As a bonus, Its located in downtown Highland Park and its perfect to walk to the other establishments located near by.
Here’s the bottom line: if you are really picky about sushi then you might not be super impressed. Remember, you are on the North Shore AND NOT River North! If you looking for a bargain, then you are are at the wrong place. If you are looking for convenience, a friendly environment, and a nicely decorated restaurant then you might want to consider this place.

I LOVE this place! My boyfriend works at a restaurant nearby so now I’m gonna be here all the time! Their Udon Soba noodles [veggie] were incredible! I haven’t had noodles like that since I was in Tennesse!
The servers make their own drinks, they make pretty good mai tai’s! And even their sushi isn’t bad, and this is coming from someone who will eat only vegetarian sushi, but this time I actually had crab!
I will DEFINITELY recommend this place, over and over again! :]
Thank you for the awesome food!

It’s A-​Ok. We come here because it’s easier to find parking and there’s no wait time.
There’s always a table available and you can even sit outside.
The rolls are yummy and decent sizes. Sometimes they get slammed at dinner time and your waitress will forget you. Our soysauce jar was empty and I hate waiving my hands to get attention. That’s very rude and so is calling out for them. My husband will just go the other empty table to look for soy sauce.
My favorite here is the spider rolls and crunchy dragon.

Not gonna lie. I’ve only been here once. For lunch. But it was really good!
I had the crunchy dragon roll, because it is the year of the dragon (Yes, I realize this is Chinese new year and not Japanese, but… whatever). The roll was tasty, and it came with soup and salad for ten bucks. Not a terrible deal if you ask me!
Recommended.

Well today was a first for me. I got a «compliment» from someone that is obviously affiliated with the restaurant.
The comment based on my review was simple:
«Your a fxxxing dxxk get a life».
The reviews are a personal opinion and I am sure Julie G’s review of your restaurant left a better taste in your mouth.
I was a patron, paid $ for the food and have every right to comment on it. That is the purpose of this site!
If someone slammed your place without shelling out $, then you would have a legitimate gripe. Move on and improve your restaurant!